Trump accuses Mueller of 'ruining lives'

Celia Watts

Manafort had been meeting with the special counsel's office since he pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy against the US and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Manafort's legal team has disputed that charge, telling a federal judge that the embattled former Trump adviser "believes he has provided truthful information and does not agree with the government's characterization or that he has breached the agreement".

Prosecutors don't lightly accuse people of breaching a cooperation agreement, said Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor. "Paul Manafort will take every opportunity to dispute that and have his lawyers produce evidence that he did not lie and that he was showing his recollection to the best of his ability". The terms of the plea agreement waive any right to retract Manafort's guilty pleas, so he's on the hook no matter what.

Of course this is all just speculation, and perhaps Manafort has other reasons for allegedly lying to investigators.

The judge in DC District Court who received the update Monday night has not yet weighed in, and a sentencing for Manafort's guilty plea has not yet been scheduled.

The plea agreement, which Manafort signed two months ago, stipulated that he would be in violation of the agreement if he were to "engage in any criminal activity prior to sentencing" or failed to "fulfill completely "each and every one" of his obligations".

It could also hamper Mueller's ability to turn an insider against Trump in the investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. And it signals that Mueller's team may be prepared to reveal the depths of what they have learned.

Manafort, 69, was convicted on multiple counts of financial fraud over the summer in connection to work he completed in Ukraine as a political consultant.

He already faces up to five years in prison on the charges in his plea agreement.

Mueller said Manafort should be sentenced immediately given the alleged breach.

Earlier Monday, former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos reported to a prison in Wisconsin to serve a 14-day sentence for lying to investigators. The president's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, entered into a plea deal with Mueller, while Trump's longtime personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has been providing information to Mueller's team and federal prosecutors in NY, among others, a person familiar with the matter has said. It also means that Mueller's team is losing a cooperating witness from the top of Donald Trump's presidential campaign who was present for several key episodes under investigation.

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